Lucy and the Demon Barber
by VioletRose13
Summary: It's been nearly thirty years since the events of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Anthony and Johanna had successfully run away, they were married, and they even had a few children. But what happens when their youngest daughter, a black-haired little girl named Lucy, runs away in the dead of night and finds herself in the city of London… and at a certain abandoned pie shop?
1. The Beginning

Two teenage children, a boy and a girl, were standing outside a pair of doors as they anxiously waited for the arrival of their new little sibling.

"How long have we been waiting now?" The girl with asked as she watched her brother pace the floor.

"I don't know, sister." The boy replied, shrugging his shoulders at her. "A few hours, maybe?"

"Do you think Mother is alright in there?"

"Of course. This has happened before. And besides, Father is in there with her. She'll be just fine… I hope."

"…What do you think the baby is going to be? I think it'll be a girl and we'll name her Dorothy. She'll be the most beautiful, adorable little baby girl in the village."

"A girl? Pfft. I bet the baby will be a _boy_ and he'll be called _William_. He'll be very popular around town, I know it."

"You don't know that."

"Well, you don't know that either."

"Fine. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

The doors opened and the head of a young man popped out.

"Gabriella, Sebastian? Come in and meet your new little sister." He said in a whisper.

The children looked at each other, then back at their father, and quietly entered the room. They saw their mother sitting up in bed with a little bundle nestled in her arms. Sebastian and Gabriella looked and saw their new little sister; she had very fair skin and big, dark eyes, but the odd thing was that she had tufts of black hair and the rest of the family was blonde.

"A sister? My little sister, Dorothy." Gabriella whispered excitedly; she looked at Sebastian with a smug expression. "So much for William."

The couple looked at each other.

"Um, Gabriella?" Her mother, Johanna, said.

"Yes?" The girl asked.

"That's not her name."

"It isn't?"

"No. Your father and I have decided on a different name."

"Oh… Well, what name _did_ you choose for her?"

"Josephine? Anne? Madeline? Patricia? Charlotte? Emily?"

"No, none of those."

"Then what _is_ her name?" Sebastian asked.

Johanna looked at her husband, Anthony; they nodded at each other before looking upon the baby.

"Her name… is Lucy." They said.

" _Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy…_ LUCY!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

 _ **Eight years later…**_

Lucy Hope's eyes snapped open wide, startled with fear. She remained still on her bed, breathing heavily. She slowly looked around the room, but saw no movement. Lucy sat up on her canopied bed, and lit a candlestick that was sitting on her nightstand next to her lamp. She climbed out of bed, and walked across the room, carrying the candlestick, to a painting on the wall.

It was a portrait of Lucy and her whole family: her mother and father, Anthony and Johanna, and her older brother and sister, Gabriella and Sebastian. And standing right in the middle was her; a little pale girl with dark eyes and short hair as black as ink. This portrait was taken rather recently, a few months ago as a matter of fact.

The rest of her family was smiling happily while she had a very uncomfortable look on her face; she looked out of place. She sighed.

"Why am I so different…?" She sadly whispered.

"Lucy?" A voice asked.

The little girl turned around to see her older sister peeking into her bedroom.

"You should be in bed. What are you doing up so late?" Gabriella asked.

"I… had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep." Lucy lied.

"Well, you should go back to bed soon." The older girl said with a frown. "You'll disturb Mother and Father. Goodnight."

The door closed before Lucy could respond.

"Goodnight…" She muttered as she walked back to her bed. "Why does she always have to tell me what to do?"

She put out the candle and looked at the clock sitting on her nightstand; it was 1:00 in the morning.

' _You are young_

 _Life has been kind to you_

 _You will learn…_ ' An unfamiliar voice whispered in her ear.

Lucy gasped and turned around in surprise, but saw no one. The strange voice continued to sing.

' _There's a hole in the world like a great black pit_

 _And the vermin of the world inhabit it_

 _And its morals aren't worth what a pig can spit_

 _And it goes by the name of London_ '

"London?" Lucy asked herself.

' _At the top of the hole sit a privileged few_

 _Making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo_

 _Turning beauty to filth and greed…_

 _I too have known of the world and all its wonders,_

 _For the cruelty of men seems as wondrous as Peru_

 _But there's no place like London!_ '

"London, London, London…" Lucy repeated as she got up and walked over to the family portrait again.

"You're TOO DIFFERENT. You don't belong here, you don't belong with them. _They_ don't understand you… but _I_ do." The same voice hummed into the girl's ear.

Lucy looked at the portrait as her eyes began to shine with fresh tears; she realized the disembodied voice was right. She _was_ different from the rest of her family; her siblings chastised and made fun of her and her parents usually ignored her. None of the children of the village would play with her because they all thought of her as very strange and they didn't even bother to talk to her.

She turned on her lamp, took out a pen and paper, and wrote a letter to her family. Then she went to her closet, changed out of her nightdress, and filled a large bag with anything she thought she might need… including all of the money she had saved. She quietly went downstairs, grabbed a dark cloak and a scarf, and headed out the door into the darkness of the night.

"Goodbye, Liverpool…" Lucy muttered before she ran down the road towards the dock. "…Hello, London."


	2. In London

For the past few weeks, Lucy sailed on the next ship that was sailing to London. Finally, she arrived. One night when the ship was in port, she waited until every member of the crew had left and when the captain departed, she carefully and quietly made her way off of the vessel.

"I'm here. I'm finally here." She said as she stood at the entrance to the town. "It's… much _darker_ than I thought it would be."

Her stomach suddenly growled; Lucy had run out of food earlier that day and she was starving. Thinking fast, she headed in the direction she thought was the right way to go. Hours of walking had passed and sitting on the corner of Fleet Street was an old shop of some kind, boarded up and abandoned many years ago; the sign above the front door read "Mrs. Lovett's".

'What's so special about this place?' Lucy asked herself before her stomach continued to hungrily growl.

She sighed in annoyance. But when she looked away just for a moment, she caught slight movement in the corner of her eye. With her curiosity kicking in, she turned and looked back at the building, watching the enormous window in the roof. After a few moments, concentrating all her senses on the building, she finally saw something solid.

She saw a person move.

She peeked in through the filthy windows and saw that this place used to be some kind of restaurant. She went over to the outdoor eating area and noticed a set of stairs leading up to a door on the second floor. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble of thunder followed by a crash of lightning. It was starting to rain. Thinking fast, Lucy ran up the stairs and knocked at the door without hesitation.

Silence.

She waited for a few moments, then knocked on the door again. More silence. She then spoke, "Hello! Excuse me? Is there anyone in there?"

She waited for an answer as the rain continued to come down hard. Then, finally, breaking the silence in a hollow voice, someone replied, "The shop isn't opened yet. Please go away."

Lucy, surprised and somewhat shocked by the rude response, replied, "Hello? May I come in?"

"No, go away."

"Please, I have nowhere to go. It's really cold and rainy out here and I need a place to stay." She reasoned to the voice inside the shop.

"I won't tell you again. Go away, beggar." The voice said rudely.

"I'm not leaving until you open up and let me in."

"Then, you'll be sitting there for an awfully long time."

"Fine." The little girl said in conclusion as she sat down in front of the shop, staring at the door.

The minutes passed as the rain went on. Stomach growling, Lucy fidgeted a little and looked around, trying to keep her mind off of the current condition she was in. She looked up at the door again, struggling to keep a hold of her conviction to wait for the invitation to be let inside.

An hour passed and it looked like this rain wasn't going to stop. Finally, Lucy had enough. She stood up and she was about to grab the handle and push the door open herself when she heard something unlock from the other side. The door opened and a man answered; he wore a deep brown vest over top a frilly long sleeve shirt. His medium length, messy raven black hair, save for a singular white stripe off right from the center, shined with the flashes of lightning. His eyes were dark and seemed sunken in, as if he had troubled dreams keeping him awake. His skin color was almost as white as a ghost, and his thin, almost malnourished looking, build complimented that feature. If she remembered correctly, he was easily just about as tall as her father.

He looked down at Lucy with wide eyes; he didn't expect to see her there. She was completely soaked and shivering from the cold and from the looks of it, she was almost on the verge of tears.

"Come in, child. You'll catch your death of cold." He said in a hollow, but friendly tone, which was a welcoming thing to hear after hearing his passively rude tone while she was outside the door, Lucy thought.

Without hesitation, the man ushered the little girl inside. Shutting the door behind him, he took her over to the rickety bed in one corner of the room and eased her onto it. She took off her cloak, grabbed a blanket, and wrapped it around her shoulders, hoping to get warm.

"Wait here. I'll light a fire and make you some tea to warm you up." He said in that same tone from before.

He crossed over to a small stove in another corner of the room and took out some matches. The sincerity in the low, mystifying tone of the barber's voice made Lucy comply without further anxiety. She rubbed her shoulders and looked up to see her new environment. She saw that this place didn't have a whole lot; a lone cushioned chair as the centerpiece, a vanity and mirror on the far side of the room along with the stove to provide warmth and light, a trunk, another mirror – which was broken – and a little dresser near the bed. It wasn't homey by any means; the wallpaper was peeling and the wooden floorboards appeared as if they would give way at any moment. Despite this state of dilapidation, it was a safe haven for Lucy at the moment and was perfectly fine in her eyes.

"There we go. Come here and get warm." The man said; Lucy got up and sat down near the stove.

Two teacups were set on the floor, one next to the little girl and the other a short distance away. He poured some tea into each cup and set the kettle back onto the stove before he sat down on the floor next to her. Lucy took a sip from her cup; the man did the same. Before Lucy could break the silence of the room with a question, her stomach did it for her. She blushed, but the man merely got up went out the door, quickly came back up with a hot pie on a plate, and placed it in front of her.

"Forgive my preparations." The man said. "I didn't have time to go to the market earlier today. I hope this will be enough for you."

Lucy looked at the small meal before her, considering it might not completely fill her up.

"Thank you." She said anyway before taking a small bite out of the pie.

The pie itself had a strange flavor and texture, she didn't wish to be rude or hurt the man's feelings, so she didn't spit it out. The man nodded at the little girl's polite attitude before a thought sprang to mind.

"What were you doing out in the rain all alone?" He asked; she looked away from him.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Lucy replied hesitantly.

"I understand. Perhaps we should properly introduce ourselves."

"Alright… My name is Lucy."

"…My name is Todd, Sweeney Todd."


	3. Meeting Mister Todd

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Todd." Lucy said politely.

"A pleasure to meet you too." The man replied. "So… what were you doing running about the city in this horrid weather?"

It took a moment for Lucy to answer; she sighed in shame. "I'm running away from home."

She took another sip from her cup of tea; Mr. Todd raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you from?" He asked.

"Liverpool."

"Why leave?"

"I don't belong."

"And why come to London of all places?"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but she paused and thought about her motives.

"…I don't know." She said. "I just feel… drawn to this city, like something or someone is telling me to come here. I just don't know."

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Yes. Ever since I came to London, I felt shadows in these streets."

"Shadows?"

"Ghosts."

"…Did someone else live here before you?"

"Perhaps."

"Did you know them?"

"A bit." He said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Were they a friend? Or family?"

Mr. Todd set his tea down on the saucer before him. "I simply knew him, nothing more. He was a good man. A good man that had an injustice done to him…"

"Punished for a crime he didn't commit?" She asked.

Mr. Todd staggered at the sudden inquiry. He calmed himself, and replied, "You _could_ say that, Miss Lucy."

"Anything you can tell me? I heard quite a few rumors about what happened here, but to be honest… I want the truth, something that can prove these stories false."

"Sometimes…" he said, lifting the tea again, taking a sip, and setting it back down before continuing. "A story convoluted with rumors gets lost in the speculation, and drowns, even through sources. You've heard of the saying 'If you repeat something often enough, it becomes the truth', haven't you?"

The little girl frowned, feeling like she suddenly hit a dead end.

"Luckily…" Todd said. "That _isn't_ the case… I haven't heard any of the stories here in town, as I've been away for a very long time…"

"So, you can tell me what really happened?"

The man put down his cup and saucer, and fell silent for a moment. Lucy looked up at him; to her, the poor fellow almost looked like he was holding back a tear, and all she could do was wonder why.

"I could tell you… but it's not a cheery tale."

"…I'm listening."

He cleared his throat.

" _There was a barber and his wife, and she was beautiful_

 _A foolish barber and his wife_

 _She was his reason, and his life_

 _And she was beautiful_

 _And she was virtuous_

 _And he was… naïve_ "

Lucy listened, entranced and intrigued in his story and his voice. It was as if he were singing to her, singing a very sad song.

" _There was another one who saw that she was beautiful_

 _A pious vulture of the law_

 _Whom with a gesture of his claw_

 _Removed the barber from his plate_

 _Then, there was nothing, but to wait_

 _And she would fall_

 _So soft, so young, so lost,_

 _And oh so beautiful!_ "

"And the lady…" Lucy said, sitting at the edge of her seat. "What became of her?" He sat in silence for a moment.

" _Oh, that was many years ago_

 _I doubt if anyone would know_ "

Lucy sat back, in awe of such a sad story and a little disappointed in the equally sad ending. She couldn't fathom the idea that one man would do something so cruel to another; it was almost painful to think about. She looked at Mr. Todd and believed that he was having a similar issue to what happened, judging by his over-all physical expression as he stared into space with a sense of deep seated gloom.

As she processed the story in her head, new questions began to develop, questions that would fill in the blanks and shed some more light on this foggy little tale.

"Mr. Todd?" She said sweetly. "Were you there that day when it happened?"

Mr. Todd, with a very blank face, said, "Yes, I was."

"Wasn't there anything you could have done to stop it?"

He sat silently, thinking briefly, "The law was against the poor soul… My interference would have only gotten me into trouble…"

Lucy looked at Mr. Todd, questioning his integrity due to his decision to flee the situation back then, but after watching his wearily sunken in eyes, she realized that even though he escaped the confrontation back then, the memory of that day seems to have haunted him for years, punishing him more than enough. She looked away, trying not to think about his emotional suffering.

"Do you know what happened to him?" She asked him, still looking away.

Mr. Todd took another sip of his tea. "As far as I recall, he was shipped off to another country to be incarcerated. I don't know when he got out, though, if at all."

"I… have one more question to ask." She said to the man, in which he nodded in response. "Why are you here? As in, why are you trying to start up his shop?"

Sweeney set his teacup down once again, and stood from his spot on the floor. Lucy flinched a little, still rather surprised about the sheer size of the man, and watched as he approached one of the windows.

"It's… a debt I feel I should pay him, to honor him in my own way, to always remember the soul that was wronged. Maybe, one day…"

He said, looking out though the window up at the cloudy skies above. The rain continued to pour, threatening to not light up anytime soon.

"One day…" he repeated, before he continued. "He may return, with an open and thriving business to return to."

"And maybe find his family again?" Lucy added.

Mr. Todd paused for a moment. "Yes, maybe… You'll be needing a place to stay while you're here, won't you Miss Lucy?"

She nodded, remaining silent.

"You're _more_ than welcome to stay here."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise; she was shocked at this sudden act of generosity.

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. That way, you won't have to be taken to the workhouse or live as a beggar."

"Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Todd! You won't regret this, I promise."

Lucy couldn't see, but a tiny smile had crept onto Mr. Todd's pale lips.


	4. The Next Day

The next morning, Lucy woke up in Mr. Todd's room. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window in the roof. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still pretty grey and cloudy. She got up and went to the mirror on the other end of the room. When she approached, Lucy finally got a closer look at all of Mr. Todd's tools; there was a medium-sized porcelain bowl with a matching pitcher, a couple of towels, a few brushes, a pair of shears, and a small wooden box in the right-hand corner. The box was beautiful and it caught her eye almost instantly; she opened it and looked inside to see seven silver straight razors, but she didn't know what they were.

She slowly reached out to touch one of them, but a pale, cold hand suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. She gasped and looked up to see Mr. Todd standing to her right with a rather grim look on his face.

"Oh! Mr. Todd, sir! I'm sorry, I-I-I didn't hear you come in." She stuttered, trying to get her arm free.

"Don't touch those." He said, slowly loosening his grip.

"Why? What are they?" Lucy rubbed her wrist; she was shocked at how cold Mr. Todd's flesh felt.

"They are my tools. I use them for my craft, every single one of them."

"You use them for shaving your customers?"

"Yes, but I'd rather you didn't touch them."

"Why not?"

"Because…" He took a razor and opened it. "These blades are very sharp and if you're not careful, you could very well hurt yourself." He put the razor back to its proper place and closed the box. "…Could you do me a favor, Miss Lucy?"

"What is it?"

Mr. Todd opened a drawer in the dresser, took out a small satin pouch, and put it into Lucy's open hand.

"I need you to go to the market and fetch some groceries for me." He said. "There are roughly five or eight pound notes and forty shillings in this pouch alone. It isn't a lot, but it should be fine. Can you do that?"

"Oh, alright." Lucy said, heading towards the door. "But, are you sure you want me to go alone? I'm still pretty little."

"You'll manage. Be sure to spend this money wisely, and no dilly-dallying on your way there. And once you've purchased enough, come straight back here. You're not to stop, you're not to speak; you are to go to the market and purchase only what you need. Do you understand?"

"I do. I promise I'll be as quick as I can."

"Good. And if you have any change left over, return it to me."

"Yes, sir."

Lucy nodded her head, grabbed her scarf and coat, and went out the door.

"I'll be waiting." The barber whispered as he heard the girl descend the stairs.

As she walked down the dirty street, Lucy tried to remember the places she went to during her short time in this old city.

'Which way is the market place again?' She asked herself before she was pushed to the ground by something from behind.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" She cried out as she tried to sit up.

"Sorry." A young voice said.

Lucy looked and saw a young boy standing before her; he had light brown hair, dark eyes, and fair skin and he looked to be the same age as her. He offered his hand to her; she reluctantly took it and he pulled her back onto her feet.

"What are you doing?" She asked again.

"I'm very sorry about that. I was just—" The boy said before a pair of adult voices interrupted him.

"I think he went this way!" One voice said.

"After him!" The other added.

He froze and stared Lucy in the eye. "Hide me!"

Unsure of what to do, Lucy looked around and told him, "Um… get in that barrel. Quick."

The boy quickly jumped into the barrel just as two officers came around the corner; they looked around and could only see Lucy.

"Excuse me, young lady. Have you seen a small boy come this way?" One officer asked.

"A boy?" Lucy innocently asked.

"Yes, where is he? Have you seen him?" The second officer asked.

"No, sir; I haven't. I didn't see anyone come by." She lied, hiding her hands behind her back.

"Hmmmm… Very well." The first officer said before he and his partner continued down the road.

Lucy waited for a minute or two before going over to the barrel and looking inside.

"They're gone." She whispered.

The boy's head popped out and he heaved a sigh of relief as he climbed out.

"Thanks. I thought they'd get me for sure this time." He said.

"Of course." The little girl said. "Wait, why are those men after you?"

"For trying to steal some bread from the baker." The boy said. "They caught sight of me before I could even grab some."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lucy said before she took out the pouch. She opened it, counted out five shillings, and gave them to the boy. "I hope this will be enough."

"What? Oh, no. I can't accept this."

"No, I insist. _You_ need this money more than _I_ do."

"I-I don't know what to say, except… thanks."

"You're welcome. Oh! Before you go, can you point me in the right direction of the marketplace? I need to fetch a few groceries."

"Oh, sure. You just need to keep going down this road and make a right turn, then a left, and you'll be there in no time."

"Thank you."

Lucy was just about to walk away when the boy stopped her.

"Wait! I never got your name." He said.

"Oh, it's Lucy. And you are?" She asked.

"I'm Benny." The boy replied.

"Nice to meet you, Benny. I hope to see you around." Lucy said politely before walking away.

"…You too." Benny whispered as she vanished into the crowds of adults.

Lucy had found her way to the market and found what she needed; after gathering everything up, she quickly went back in the direction of Fleet Street. As she got closer to the shop, she suddenly heard a strange sound. She turned her head towards it, but nothing was there; she recognized it as the frightened cries of a cat. She bent down to look into an empty crate and she gasped; she saw a dirty black cat and it looked like it was in pain. Thinking fast, she carefully picked up the cat and held it for a minute or two before it slowly calmed down.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" She asked in a gentle voice.

"I was going to ask you that." A new voice said.

Lucy jumped in surprise and nearly dropped the cat; she turned around, looked up, and saw a man in expensive looking clothing standing before her. His brow was furrowed and he had a certain glint in his eyes, and it wasn't friendly. The cat suddenly hissed at the sight of him and swiped at him with its paw.

"Child, you had better control your mangy feline or I'll have to punish you for it." The man rudely said.

"Oh, um… this cat isn't mine. I just found her." Lucy said shyly.

"Is that so? And pray tell, where are you heading, little girl?"

"…I need to go."

The man suddenly reached out and grabbed Lucy's shoulder, preventing her from getting away. "No, wait. I mean no harm, I promise you."

'Then why don't I believe you?'

"Sir, could you please let go of me?" Lucy asked, trying to get herself free.

"What's your hurry? I just want to talk." The man said, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

With her, Lucy did the only thing she could think of; she stepped down hard on the man's foot, which made him cry out in pain. While he was distracted, Lucy grabbed her groceries and ran off with the black cat following close behind. She ran and ran until she finally reached Mr. Todd's shop. She ran in and shut the door behind her, breathing heavily.

"Took you long enough."

Lucy looked and saw Mr. Todd standing by his dresser and polishing one of his razors.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Todd sir. I just, um…" She stammered, trying to find the right words.

"No need to explain yourself." Mr. Todd said, turning his head to look at her. "I saw it all from the window." He then took one of the razors out of its box, walked over to Lucy, and gave her the blade. "Before you say anything, I know I told you not to touch these, but… it's clear to me that you need some way to protect yourself. Just be very careful with it and use it only for emergencies."

Lucy gazed at the silver barber instrument in her hand; she looked back up at Mr. Todd.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." He said before glancing over to see the cat that had followed Lucy back to the shop. "And I see you've brought someone with you."

"What do you…?"

"Nothing… Perhaps we should keep her."

"Keep her?"

"Why not? She seems to really like you. And believe it or not, I already have a name for her."

"What is it?"

"…Nellie."

"Nellie?"

"I just think it suits her. What do you think?"

Lucy bent down and gently rubbed the cat's head and scratched behind her ears; she thought about it and realized Mr. Todd was right.

"Hmmmmm… Nellie it is." She said as the feline purred contently.


	5. That Night

That evening, Lucy sat in the pie shop with Nellie in her lap. She gently stroked the cat's back with one hand while she held the razor Mr. Todd had given her in the other. She opened it up and gazed at the blade; it was absolutely beautiful, it almost looked brand new. She gazed at her reflection in the blade; she wondered how she could be related to any of her family.

There was a knock at the window. Lucy jumped in her seat and looked up to see a beggar woman dressed in filthy rags and a tattered bonnet standing outside the window closest to her; the little girl cried out in fright and quickly backed away. Nellie hissed in fright as she jumped out of Lucy's lap.

"Excuse me, little one." The woman said. "Could you spare an old woman a little money or food?"

"I-I, um…" Lucy stammered, unsure of what to say.

"Oye! What're you doing out there?!" An unfamiliar voice yelled. "Go away! Go on, scat! You ain't welcome here! Scram!"

Lucy looked behind her to see a woman with frizzy hair and pale skin walking over to the door, opening it, and waving a towel at the beggar to make her go away. When she was gone, the woman went back inside and locked the front door before turning her head to look at Lucy.

"Hello there, little one." The woman said kindly.

"Um… hello." Lucy said nervously. "Who are you?"

"Name's Mrs. Lovett, dear. Lovely to meet you, Lucy."

Lucy paused before reluctantly taking the woman's hand. "How do you know my name?"

"Sweeney Todd told me about you, dear. He said you're gonna be staying with us for a while."

"You know Mr. Todd?"

"Of course; we are neighbors, after all."

Nellie meowed and brushed herself against Lucy's leg.

"And who's this?" Mrs. Lovett asked.

"This is Nellie." Lucy replied. "I found her on the streets earlier today. Mr. Todd let me keep her; _he_ was actually the one who came up with her name."

"Is that so? Hello, Nellie."

Mrs. Lovett knelt down and reached out her hand to pet the cat, but Nellie suddenly hissed and with one swift motion, the cat scratched her in response. Mrs. Lovett cried out in surprise and covered her scratched arm with her other hand as Lucy gasped.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." She said. "I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, no it's fine, dear." Mrs. Lovett said. "Nothing serious, see?"

She showed the girl her right arm and Lucy was surprised to see a long scratch going up from Mrs. Lovett's wrist up to her elbow. But the odd thing was that were was no blood, not even a drop. This made Lucy's own blood run cold as well as the hairs on the back of her neck stand up; she didn't know what to think of this woman and she was frightened.

"Um… I'm sorry, but I think I hear Mr. Todd calling me." Lucy stuttered, grabbing her razor, stuffing it into her pocket, and heading for the door leading to Mr. Todd's shop.

Before Mrs. Lovett could properly respond, Lucy was already outside with Nellie right behind her. But she didn't go upstairs like she said; instead, she hid under them and held her kitten close.

"Miss Lucy?" A voice asked.

Lucy turned her head and saw Benny from earlier standing on the other side of the fence surrounded the outdoor dining area. She smiled.

"Benny? What are you doing here?" She asked, walking over to him.

"I was just out and about." Benny replied. "But what are _you_ doing here?"

"This is where I'm staying."

"Really? I thought this place was abandoned."

"Are you sure? It wasn't empty when I first arrived. Two other people live here, a barber and a pie chef."

Benny's eyes widened; he looked at Lucy. "Did you say a barber and a pie chef?"

"Yes, why?" Lucy asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"You don't know? I heard that—"

"Benny Ragg! What are you doing?" A shrill voice called.

A woman with dirty blonde hair and wearing a green dress suddenly approached; from what Lucy could tell, it was Benny's mother.

"I thought I told you this place was dangerous." The woman said before noticing Lucy; she looked at her son. "Are you not going to introduce us?"

"Oh, right. Mother, this is Lucy. She's a friend." Benny said.

"Nice to meet you, mum." Lucy said politely.

"Nice to meet you too, dear." The woman said. "So… what's a sweet little one like you doing in a place like _this_?"

"I, um…" Lucy nervously rubbed her hand.

"She's staying here, mother." Benny chimed in.

"With friends or family?" The woman asked.

"Um, just a friend." Lucy responded.

"You sound unsure. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Uh, yes ma'am. I'm fine, I promise."

"Maybe you should come home with us. We can give you all you need."

"What? Oh, no. You don't have to do that. I wouldn't want to be a bother. I'm perfectly fine here."

"Nonsense, you're no bother. Now come on, let's go."

The woman then grabbed Lucy's hand and tried to walk away with her, but Lucy didn't want to go. The little girl pulled, but the older woman pulled harder.

"No." Lucy said.

"What? I said, you're not a bother. Come on." Benny's mother insisted.

"I said _no_!"

It went back and forth; Lucy struggled to get free and the woman wouldn't let go. Benny just stood on the sidelines, unsure of who to help or what to do.

"Agh! Stop! Let go of me!" Lucy cried, shutting her eyes and pulling hard.

Then she waved her free hand… that was holding her open razor. Benny's mother suddenly let out a cry of shock and pain and she quickly let go of Lucy's wrist. Lucy opened her eyes and saw the woman holding her right cheek, which had a fresh cut on it. The girl looked at the razor in her hand and saw a tiny bit of blood on the blade. Her eyes widened.

"That was an accident." She said.

She narrowed her eyes at Lucy and took her son's hand; they started to walk away. "Come, Benny. We're going home."

"Bye." Benny whispered.

"Bye." Lucy whispered back.

The moment they were both out of sight, Lucy ran up the stairs into Mr. Todd's room. She breathed heavily, unsure of what just transpired out there.

"Everything alright, love?" Mr. Todd's voice asked. He was standing near his chair, sharpening another razor on a piece of wood.

"Hmm? Oh, um… yes, Mr. Todd. Everything's fine." Lucy lied.

Mr. Todd looked up to see Lucy looking away from him in fear. He dropped is wood, put the razor in his pocket, and walked over to her.

"Tell me what happened." He said.

Lucy frowned. "…I hurt someone with my razor." Mr. Todd remained silent. "But I didn't mean to hurt her. I swear. She was holding my hand really tight and she tried to take me away and I was only defending myself. I cut her cheek with the razor. I'm sorry." She shut her eyes as tears started to fall from them.

"Lucy, I'm not mad." He calmly said.

The girl's eyes flew open; she looked at Mr. Todd. "You're not?"

"Of course not. You had to protect yourself; you did what you had to do."

A tiny smile made its way onto Lucy's face.

"But you must remember; only use the razor if someone is trying to harm you, nothing else. Understand?"

She nodded.

"Good." Mr. Todd gave her a tiny smile.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'm telling you there's something wrong with that girl." Benny's mother ranted as she paced the floor of her home. "Living in a place that's been abandoned for years? Who does that?"

"Maybe she's telling the truth, mum." Benny said timidly.

"Well, I don't believe her. And neither should _you_. I don't want you to see that girl again."

"What?! No, you can't do that!"

"Oh, yes I can. Benny, that girl could be trouble. She had a razor on her; a _razor_ of all things!"

"Where did you say this girl was living again?" A third voice asked.

"The old pie shop on Fleet Street." She replied turning around to face her husband.

"Mackenzie… I think she might be in danger." A young man with dark brown hair and pale skin said as he stood up from the table.

"Are you sure, dad?" Benny asked.

"Of course, son." The man said. "And you're mother's right. I don't think you should be going over there anymore. It's too dangerous for children."

"That's what I'm saying. We need to get her away from that place."

"But how are we going to do that, Toby?" His wife asked.

"That's what we need to figure out." Toby said, furrowing his brow.


End file.
